


Showing Who's the Boss

by Pennygirl612



Category: White Collar
Genre: Gen, Light Angst, possible missing scene, takes place early Season One
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-10-31 01:48:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17840099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pennygirl612/pseuds/Pennygirl612
Summary: Hughes brings Neal into his office for what seems to be a little get to know each other chat.  Of course, Hughes purpose is much more than that as both Peter and Neal learn the hard way.Takes place during Season One and could be viewed as a missing scene some time after Vital Signs episode.





	Showing Who's the Boss

**Author's Note:**

> Just something that had crossed my mind. Hughes was portrayed in the series as having Peter's back so I'm thinking at some point he would have felt the need to put both Neal and Peter on notice that he was watching and would only allow them to venture into gray areas just so much.

Showing Who’s the Boss

“Caffrey!” SAC Reese Hughes hollered from above the bullpen area. Neal was standing next to Peter and both heads immediately snapped up in response. “My office now!” Hughes ordered. 

Peter headed for the stairs to accompany Neal but stopped when Hughes laser-like stare befell upon him. A single negative shake of his head had Peter frowning but he remained where he was standing. 

He shot a sideways glance at his CI and hissed, “Neal, what you have done?”

Neal shrugged, “Nothing.”

“Neal?!” Peter warned under his breath. There had to be a reason behind Neal’s summoning. 

“Nothing Hughes would know about,” Neal amended sheepishly. 

“How reassuring,” Peter said sarcastically while pinching his nose in frustration. His CI was going to be the death of him.

Neal’s answer was to flash a large, confident grin, the one fully displaying his pearly white teeth before he gracefully ascended the stairs. Once out of Peter’s sight, Neal dropped the smile. Despite his outward appearance, he was just as nervous as Peter over the summoning. Taking a moment to smooth his jacket and rearrange his tie as well as to quell any further anxiety, Neal knocked on Hughes’ door.

“Sit down, Caffrey,” Hughes ordered in his usual no nonsense voice. 

Instantly Neal obeyed deciding it best to be as compliant as possible until he had more information to work with. Hughes was on the phone and appeared to be ignoring Neal but the hairs standing up on his neck let Neal know he was being observed maybe even being discussed. Remaining still, Neal sat quietly at attention which wasn’t easy in the hard, wooden chair. He wished he could hear the conversation taking place, but Hughes kept his voice too low for it to carry. That heightened Neal’s belief that he was indeed the topic of conversation.

When Hughes finally hung up the phone, Neal straightened up expecting Hughes to now address whatever he wanted to meet with Neal about. It was hard not to let his disappointment show when Hughes continued to ignore him instead picking up several folders and perusing their contents. Obviously the agent was in no hurry to get to his point. Or maybe, that was the point. Maybe this was all supposed to be a show of his authority, of his power. 

Resisting the urge to check his phone or to fiddle in any way, Neal used a tried and proven method of to settle his mind into a calm, quiet place. First he plotted just how he--uh, or someone-- would steal the Hope Diamond. Letting his mind drift into that world, his body instantly relaxed. He had moved on to the Crown Jewels when Hughes phone rang again.

Deciding to take the opportunity to study the head of the White Collar Unit, Neal took in the stark white dress shirt, sharply pressed. A plain, boring navy blue tie knotted tightly at his neck lie perfectly straight down his chest. Here was a man who was calculating in the appearance he portrayed. Clearly he took pride in his look ensuring nothing was out of place, but he also ensured that he didn’t stand out in any way by wearing plain, non-descript clothing. Overall his appearance was unremarkable and forgettable. It was all in an effort to lull someone into a false sense of security; all designed so that no one would perceive this man as any type of threat. 

“Are you eye-balling me, son?” Hughes said with narrowed eyes as he hung up the phone. 

Neal felt himself shift in his seat under the pressure of those cold, steely eyes. “No, sir.”

There was a slight uptick of Hughes’ lip at Neal’s obvious lie. Picking up one of the folders from the stack on his desk, Hughes leaned back in his seat and placed his glasses on. “So Mr. Caffrey, I thought it high time we got to know each other a bit better; now that you’re part of my White Collar team.”

Neal planted a passive smile on his face, “What would you like to know, sir? I’m an open book.” 

“Oh, I doubt that, Mr. Caffrey,” Hughes answered, a hint of amusement in his voice. “But you will be.”

Knowing this was only the beginning, the first salvo, Neal leaned back in the chair effectively settling in. He took a deep breath and steeled himself for the interrogation that was sure to follow. And Hughes didn’t disappoint as he fired question after question at Neal with lightning speed forcing him to answer honestly (or mostly honest) and not allowing him much time to come up with strategically vague or misleading answers. Under different circumstances, Neal would have appreciated the masterly technique, but not so much when he was the one on the receiving end!

Neal got a much needed reprieve when there was a knock at the door and in walked Peter without invitation. If that displeased Hughes, the older agent hid it well. His face remained neutral as he watched Peter approach his desk, folder in hand. Peter’s face equally expressionless did sneak a short glance over at Neal mainly to ensure his CI was still in one piece. Neal met his eyes briefly, just long enough to display his discomfort and to let him know he appreciated Peter checking up on him.

Hughes silently observed the exchange between agent and CI. Slowly he rose to his feet, bringing his thin, tall frame to full height; his steely eyes settled on Peter and stared him down. He was impressed when Peter didn’t flinch under his gaze, but merely handed over the folder advising him it was the latest resource analysis needed for the next day’s budget meeting. He was more impressed that Peter had managed a full forty-five minutes before finding a way to interrupt his meeting with Caffrey.

Neal watched in strange fascination. Clearly a silent power struggle was going on between the two men. Never taking his eyes off Peter, Hughes thanked him for the report and dropped the folder into his inbox. Peter stood his ground and the game of chicken to see who would blink first continued. The tension in the room was thick and heavy. When Peter made no move to leave, Hughes rounded his desk and leaned against it; purposely standing closer to Neal than Peter was to his CI. 

“Is there anything I can assist you with?” Peter asked, hoping that Hughes would give him some idea of why he had Neal in his office for nearly an hour now. When Hughes moved from behind the desk to stand between Neal and the agent, Peter started to get a clue. 

“No,” Hughes said simply. When Peter still didn’t move, he asked in a voice deceptively calm, “Was there something else, Agent Burke?”

Peter shook his head, but he wasn’t ready to be dismissed. “No…sir,” Peter added belatedly when Hughes raised an eyebrow. 

Hughes took his time crossing his arms to his chest. His eyes remained fixed on the younger agent letting Peter know that his continued presence in the office was not needed or welcomed. Peter opened his mouth to speak and wisely closed it. Another second passed. Then Peter broke eye contact as he took a step back away from his boss. Clearly frustrated, Peter turned and left the office closing the door behind him slightly harder than necessary. 

Hughes waited for the door to close before he returned to his seat behind the desk. He glanced over at Neal who looked back at him with a calculating look. “Caffrey, if you have something to say, say it.”

Neal slowly nodded as he realized what was going on. “All of this questioning, this entire meeting has been about Peter, not me.”

“Agent Burke’s my best agent,” Hughes said by way of explanation, not bothering to deny Neal’s assessment of the situation.

“So you’re questioning Peter’s loyalty to you?” Neal asked, increasingly angry.

Hughes cut him off. “No, his loyalty to the Bureau. I’m wondering if Agent Burke has been compromised. I’m wondering if Agent Burke can still be effective at his job.”

“Pet—Agent Burke,” Neal corrected himself for Hughes benefit, “has not been compromised.”

Hughes picked up a folder on his desk and slid it over to Neal. Suspicious of its contents, Neal opened it up as if something might spring out at him. Inside was an incident report. Looking up at Hughes, the older man told him to read it and so he did. Quickly Neal recognized it as Peter’s report on the Howser Clinic case. 

Hughes slid a second and third folder forward. These cases were unfamiliar to him. Checking the dates, he saw that both preceded Neal’s escape from prison. He saw nothing special about the cases themselves. Seemed like straight forward instances of embezzlement and laundering violations. Knowing Hughes was still carefully watching him, Neal took another look at the reports. Obviously there was something Hughes wanted him to see. 

Halfway through the second report, Neal’s heart sank recognizing the difference. He quickly scanned the third report. Both were an i’s dotted and t’s crossed kind of reports. No small detail went unwritten in either. On the other hand, the Howser Clinic report while factually accurate lacked the same attention to detail. Neal had firsthand knowledge there was a lot left unaccounted for in the Howser report like his minor transgression of breaking into the clinic.

Watching Neal’s expression change, Hughes leaned forward. “Care to fill in the gaps?” 

“We closed the case. Together, Peter and I have closed a lot of cases,” Neal said with a shrug as if that was all that mattered.

“Yeah, but it matters how you close the cases and at what cost,” Hughes countered. 

Neal almost rolled his eyes. That sounded just like something Peter would say to him which only in Neal’s mind proved just how uninfluenced Peter truly was. 

A knock at the door saved Neal from having to respond. He half expected it to be Peter again so Neal was not prepared for the sight of two burly men wearing U.S. Marshals flak jackets. And the sudden adrenaline rush of fear that spread through his body prevented Neal from seeing his handler standing outside the office. So focused on the deputies, Neal didn’t see Peter’s own display of anxiety mixed with a good dose of anger. 

“Sir?” Neal heard Peter question from the hallway. Hughes response was only to close the door on the agent. 

One deputy manhandled Neal to his feet while the other bent down and removed the anklet. Frozen, Neal made eye contact with Hughes where again the man hid his feelings, giving nothing away. Prepared for handcuffs, Neal was surprised when a new tracking unit was fastened in place instead. Handing over the keys to Hughes, the deputies waited to be dismissed, but Hughes kept them in his office for five more minutes asking various questions about the new model.

Walking them to the door, Hughes ignored Peter who was clearly fuming in the hallway, hands on his hips. When Peter started to speak, Hughes’ glare stopped him. Thanking the deputies, Hughes finally waved Peter inside his office. 

Neal couldn’t help but notice how amused Hughes seemed to be by what all had just unfolded; by what he had so obviously and carefully orchestrated. Neal felt his own anger rise knowing how he had just been used to manipulate Peter; now certain that both phone calls had been to the Marshal’s office. Hughes had wanted Peter, and in a lessor way Neal, to learn a valuable lesson. In this office, Hughes was the boss and Peter needed to understand that he wasn’t the only one in control of Neal. The CI’s fate did not rest solely in Peter’s hands. He could and would be taken away if Hughes saw fit to do so. 

And Neal knew that Peter got that message as well. He could easily read the contained rage just under the surface of Peter’s lowered eyes as he granted submission to his boss. Neal also knew Hughes had another, separate message for Neal. Neal needed to know that Hughes was watching. He would give the con man enough rope to hang himself, but he would not let him take his best agent down with him. Hughes would look after Peter as closely as Peter was looking out for Neal. 

“Something on your mind, Burke?” Hughes asked dryly; almost daring the agent to speak out.

Peter bit his tongue and answered simply. “No, sir.” After a slight pause, he asked, “Are you done with Caffrey now, sir?” 

Hughes returned to his desk and sat down. “Yes, I believe I am done with you both.”

Shuffling Neal protectively ahead of him, Peter paused at the door. Without looking back he said, “Message received, sir, but you could have just said something.”

The uptick curve of Hughes lip was even more pronounced as the agent closed the door behind him. If Hughes had his way, Agent Burke would indeed make a fine SAC one day.


End file.
